WPL 2026: Gujarat Giants beat Mumbai Indians; qualify for Eliminator

Harmanpreet Kaur's unbeaten 82 off 48 deliveries went in vain as Gujarat Giants beat Mumbai Indians by 11 runs to qualify for the 2026 Women's Premier League eliminator at the Kotambi Stadium in Vadodara on Friday.

The result marked Gujarat Giants' first-ever win over the two-time champions in the WPL, having lost all their previous eight encounters.

Led by Ashleigh Gardner, the Giants raised some eyebrows when they opted to bat first after winning the toss, going against the trend in the tournament.

The decision seemed to have backfired as they lost Beth Mooney early on and the duo of Sophie Devine and Anushka Sharma struggled to score quickly on what seemed to be a slow pitch. However, a 48-run stand between the duo, stabilised the innings.

They seemed to have lost their way as both Devine and Sharma were scalped within a span of five deliveries. But, some brilliant hitting from Gardner and Georgia Wareham ensured they put up a challenging 167/4 on the board.

Gardner scored a 28-ball 46, while Wareham remained unbeaten on a 26-ball 47.

The Mumbai Indians' chase never got going as Sophie Devine removed their two star batters – Hayley (6) Matthews and Nat Sciver-Brunt (2) – cheaply. The fact that they lost Sajana Sajeevan (26) also in the powerplay meant that they were in deep trouble.

Harmanpreet Kaur and Amelia Kerr (20) steadied the ship for a bit but once the latter fell to Wareham, leaving them at 82/4 in the 12th over, it was essentially game over for them.

Kaur kept waging a lone battle as she smashed eight boundaries and four sixes but to no avail.

While the win propelled the Gujarat Giants to the eliminator, Mumbai Indians' hopes now ride on the final league match between Delhi Capitals and UP Warriorz.

A win for the Capitals then could see the reigning champions bow out of the league stage for the first time in the tournament's history.